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Hospitality Management degree joins campus' academic offerings

June 24, 2014

Hospitality Management degree joins campus' academic offerings

Penn State Berks will begin offering a bachelor of science in hospitality management degree in the fall semester of 2015. The hospitality industry is a major economic driver in the Berks County area, and this degree program is offered in response to demand for graduates with degrees in the hospitality industry. Penn State Berks is the only campus outside University Park to offer this degree program.

The Hospitality Management degree program will help to prepare students for management positions in hotels, restaurants, institutions and other hospitality organizations. It also provides a sound background for students who plan to pursue graduate studies.

Penn State Berks currently offers the first two years of the Hospitality Management program. The campus has offered the associate degree in hotel, restaurant, and institutional management for the last 41 years in collaboration with Penn State’s School of Hospitality Management. During that time, the campus has formed relationships with local hotels and restaurants, providing students with internships and “live” laboratory experiences.

With the completion of the Gaige Technology and Business Innovation Building, Penn State Berks has a production kitchen to support the required laboratory for the bachelor of science in hospitality management degree, as well as an adjacent dining room to simulate restaurant operations.

The hospitality management degree will join the campus' 18 other baccalaureate degree programs, providing a full complement of diverse and varied degree programs to meet the needs of students in the Berks County community and beyond. For more information about the bachelor of science in hospitality management degree program, contact Jennifer Wakemen, program coordinator, at 610-396-6123 or JVP5@psu.edu.